- Israel Adesanya bursts into tears during press conference for UFC 305
- Earlier, Dricus du Plessis angered Adesanya by saying he is a ‘true African’
- ‘The Last Stylebender’ will attempt to regain his UFC middleweight title on Saturday
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya got emotional in front of the crowd and his next opponent, Dircus du Plessis, during the pre-fight press conference.
The Nigerian-born New Zealander returns to the octagon this weekend in his bid to regain the UFC middleweight title.
‘The Last Stylebender’ has not fought since September 2023, when he lost the title in a surprise victory over Sean Strickland.
Now Adesanya steps into a new story with his old rival, Dricus du Plessis, who has taken the title from Strickland and now wants to defend it.
The fighters have been feuding for years, but tensions have been rising since confirmation that the African-born athletes will headline the main card of UFC 305.
Israel Adesanya burst into tears after Dricus du Plessis made comments about his family’s wealth
The fighter became emotional, dropped the microphone and left the pre-fight press conference at UFC 305
Both fighters have been fighting for the ‘real African’ title for some time now, after du Plessis claimed to be the first champion from the mother continent.
The ruling infuriated Adesanya, who is originally from Nigeria despite representing New Zealand in the octagonal bout, as well as former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
However, DDPs had a strong impact on Adesanya’s feelings during the pre-match press conference, when he burst into tears and subsequently stormed off the stage.
The tension rose when Adesanya was asked if he would visit Africa soon. The fighter confidently replied that he plans to take his title to Nigeria and South Africa.
Du Plessis asked: ‘Are you taking the servants with you when you go back?’, suggesting the New Zealander grew up wealthy.
Adesanya burst into a rage and asked: What the hell are you talking about?
“You don’t know anything about my story. You have no idea who the f*** I am.”
After this, the audience asked ‘The Last Stylebender’ questions about the tension between the fighters.
As he burst into tears, he pointed to his family and said, “He brought up a subject there, because I’m doing this for the family.”
“I’m doing this for the people I love, and I will always fight for you, I swear to God.”
The 35-year-old boxer ridiculed his opponent again after admitting he loved his fans.
‘I feel the love from the crowd. First time I fought here [UFC] 221, that was February 2018, that’s when I made my dream come true.
“Sunday, I’m gonna ruin your dreams, b***h, I’m gonna ruin your dreams,” Adesanya said before leaving the stage as the press conference ended.
A few minutes later he returned for a face-off.
‘The Last Stylebender’ returned a few minutes later for another heated confrontation with Dricus du Plessis
The 35-year-old Nigerian-born fighter will attempt to regain his UFC middleweight title on Saturday
In July, the fighters had already had a fierce confrontation, when they stood nose to nose for more than 90 seconds and had to be separated.
The two have long been rivals and will battle it out in the octagon in Perth on August 18 to settle their differences.